Systems and methods for generating modular security delegates for applications

Abstract

Embodiments of the present teachings relate to systems and methods for generating modular security delegates for applications. According to embodiments, in a multiple network environment, multiple machines (or clients) can be configured. Each machine can include a plurality of application instances and an authentication delegate. In addition, each network environment can include a communication interface to security services. The applications can include logic that indicates what security delegate to use for a given set of user authentication credentials. The logic can be configured to determine the appropriate authentication delegate using various methods. The authentication delegates can receive a set of user authentication credentials from application instances and determine whether the set of user authentication credentials are valid. Each authentication delegate corresponds to one and only one type of authentication mechanism.

Description

FIELD[0001]This invention relates generally to authenticating user credentials using a separate modular security delegate for applications.DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART[0002]There are many applications that require access by multiple types of users. For example, administrators who can have high levels of access, external users who can have lower levels of access, employees of a company that is providing the application who can have middle levels of access, etc. For each type of user / access, the applications can provide different functionality, which can be protected by requiring a specific level of security for each user type.[0003]However, in many applications, building in multiple authentication and authorization levels can pose a problem, if, for example, different authentication mechanisms and / or authorization mechanisms are used. As used herein, authentication and authentication mechanisms can be directed to determining if the user is the actual user identified, whereas author...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

However, in many applications, building in multiple authentication and authorization levels can pose a problem, if, for example, different authentication mechanisms and / or authorization mechanisms are used.

For example, if the application is capable of accepting multiple forms of authentication, this can create an unacceptable level of risk since it could expose, for example, internal corporate authentication mechanisms to brute-force attacks from, for example, the internet, and this could also cause ambiguous credentials that could be valid for one form of authentication but not the other.

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